1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a method and compositions for processing poultry feathers. More specifically, the invention is directed to a method and chemical compositions for cleaning and preparing poultry feathers for further processing into usable items.
2. Description of Related Art
Poultry slaughtering creates a significant amount of by-products including, for example, offal and feathers. Such byproducts made be disposed of through burning or burial. Alternatively, the feathers may be hydrolyzed and dried into meal and reintroduced into the food chain due to the high usable protein content of the feathers. The feathers may also be further processed into predetermined shapes or for subsequent use in the construction of other usable products. For example, the feathers may be processed into fibers that are incorporated into the structure of other products such as paper, filters, wovens and non-wovens, extrusions, laminates and composites, fillers, insulation, packing, adsorbents, biodegradable horticultural pots, mats, and other matrix-like products. In these cases, the feathers are typically washed to remove fats and oils and subsequently dried.
In processing poultry feathers, it is desirable to process the feathers in a manner that provides the feathers or feather mass with good dewatering properties so that, for example, any washing solutions may be easily drained. Further it is desirable to process the feathers so that they have sufficient structural integrity for subsequent use, particularly when the feathers are intended for further processing into predetermined shapes or for use in the construction of certain products.
Current feather washing processes are equipment-intensive and, therefore, capital-intensive. For example, some feather washing processes use solvents, such as chlorinated hydrocarbons, that require solvent washers and distillation and recycling equipment. Other processes use ethanol, ketones, or esters as cleaners, which also require distillation and recycling equipment. Further, some of these solvents are flammable and introduce a significant health and safety risk to personnel utilizing them.
Based on the foregoing, there is a need for a method for processing poultry feathers with minimal capital investment as well as simplicity in use. Further, there is a need for a method for processing poultry feathers that imparts desirable properties to the feather material, such as improved dewatering properties and structural integrity, to enhance the usability of the feather material for other purposes.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a method and compositions for processing poultry feathers. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method for processing poultry feathers, comprising contacting a plurality of poultry feathers with a detergent capable of imparting a static charge to the plurality of poultry feathers; adding an anionic polymeric adduct to the plurality of poultry feathers; adding a cationic species to the plurality of poultry feathers; and dewatering the plurality of poultry feathers.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides a composition for processing poultry feathers, comprising a detergent capable of imparting a static charge to the poultry feather; an anionic polymeric adduct; and a cationic species. Such compositions may generally comprise surfactant-based cleaners, static additives, and polymeric substrates.
The present invention provides a method and compositions for processing poultry feathers in a low capital-intensive manner since the method can be practiced using relatively simple processing equipment. Further, the method utilizes chemicals and chemical compositions that are environmentally safe and, therefore, relatively safe to use compared to the chemicals used in other poultry cleaning processes. The method and compositions of the present invention also impart desirable properties to the feathers or feather mass, such as improved dewatering properties and structural integrity, to enhance the usability of the feathers for other purposes, such as in the construction of other usable products.
These and other features and benefits of the present invention will appear from the following description from which the preferred embodiments are set forth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.